Hood latch



Oct. 3, 1933. B. F. HAMILTON HOOD LATCH Filed May 12, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Y is .33 43;

Oct. 3, 1933. a. F. HAMILTON HOOD LATCH Filed May 12, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m w WN Patented Oct. 3, 1933 HOOD LATCH Bertis F. Hamilton, Greenwood, Ind., assignor to Noblitt-Sparks Industries, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application May 12, 1930. Serial No. 451,614

6 Claims. (01. 292-48) My invention is concerned with a latchor locking device particularly adapted for use in association with the hood of an automobile, to hold such hood in closed, position. It is, the

. object of 7 my invention to produce sucha device in which a single operating member. will operate a plurality of spaced latches. A further object of my invention is to provide such'a device with means for insuring that the engagement of one latchwill not prevent engagement .1 which will prove durable and sturdy in use.

, which it can be rotated; and within the hood,

of another. Still another object of my invention is to produce a self-locking hood-latch mechanism of a simple and durable construction whichcan be manufactured at low cost and In carrying out my invention I provide an operating member which extends through the hood-side. On the outside of the hood, this operating member is provided with a handle by the operating member is connected with spaced latches through extensible connecting members the extension of which is yieldingly opposed, whereby movement of the operating member will not be limited by the locking of either latch.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of my'inventionz'Fig. 1 is an elevation ofthe interior of ahood-side, showing the latching mechanism-in latched position; 'Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the mechanism unlatched; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the hood-side showing the .latching mechanism" in plan; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing an end elevation of the latching mechanism; Fig. 5' is a fragmental sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but on an enlarged scale; Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the axis of the operating member, showing the parts associated therewith, and Fig. 7 is a fragmental side elevation of the hood showing the latch-operating handle. 7

In the device illustrated in the drawings, the hood-side 10', when in closed position, is disposed with its lower edge resting against a stop member or sill 11 which, as shown, is mounted on the upper surface of the automobile frame 12. So far as my invention is concerned, the precise'arrangement of the hood-side, sill, and frame are immaterial and may be varied as desired.

At a convenient point on the hood-side 10, I mount a bearing 15 in which there is rotatably supported an operating member 16 which extends through the hood-side and on its outer end is provided with a handle 1'7 by means of which it can be rotated. On the inner end of the operating member 16 I mount for rotation therewith a cross-bar 18.v Conveniently, although not necessarily, the inner end of the operating member 16 may be flattened'on opposite sides, and the cross-bar 18 may be provided with an elongated hole for receiving the fiattened end of the operating member, thus insuring that'the operating member and cross-bar 18 will rotate as a unit. A pin 19 extending'through the operating member 16 inside'of the cross-bar l8serves to hold such cross-bar in place on the operating 'member. If desired, I may provide between the, cross-bar 18 and the hood-side a coiled compression spring 20 whichftends to move the operating member inward in its bearing 15,such inward movement being limited by a shoulder 16" which engages the outer end of thebearing 15. This spring serves to. take up lost-motion and thus to prevent vibration and noise.

The connecting links whichoonnect the operating member 16 with the two latches, which are to be described hereinafter, are pivotally connected respectively to theends of the crossbar 18. Each of these links comprises two parts, one of such parts being a member 22 which is pivotally attached to one end of the cross-bar 18, and the other of such parts being a rod 23 which is slidably received in a suitable guide .24 on-the-associated member 22. In association with each member 22 and rod 23, there'is provided yielding means, conveniently in the form of a coiled compression spring 25, which acts between suitable abutments on the members 22 and rod 23 respectively and tends to shorten the effective length or, the connecting link which such two parts comprise.

The latches, which are mounted atspaced points along the'side 10' of the hood, may vary considerably in form, the preferred construction being perhaps best illustrated in Figs. 4, and 5. As shown, each latch comprises a member, con.-, veniently in the form of a stirrup 2'7, which is pivoted on a horizontal axis to the hood-side 10 at a point above the bottom thereof. Opposite each of the stirrups 27, I mount on some stationary part,.such as the frame .12, a bracket'28 which extendsupwardly from the frame and which at its upper end is provided with an outwardly turned lip 29 into and out of engagement with the lower surface of which the stirrup 27 may swing. n

Suitable means is provided for connecting the endsof the rods 23 to the'stirrups 27 of both One arm of each bell-crank 31 is connected to the end of the adjacent rod 23, conveniently, by having the end of the rod bent over, passed through a hole in the bell-crank arm, and then provided with a head, as is clear from the drawings. The other arm of each of 'the bell-cranks 31 is connected through a link 33 to an eccentric I point on the associated stirrup, conveniently by being formed into an eye at its end, such eye surrounding a cross-piece 34 on the stirrup- The cross-piece 34, at the point where it receives the eye on the connecting rods 32, may be bent to provide a, round surface forming a suitable hear ing for the eye on the end of the connecting rod. The upper endoi each connecting rod is loosely received in a hole in one arm of the bell-crank 31.

When the latch device is not latched, the parts occupy the position shown in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines in Fig; 4, the stirrups 27 extending generally downward from their mountingon the hood-side and being out of engagement with the ear 20 on the brackets 28., With the hood-side in closed position, sh'ould it be desired to operate the latching device, the operating handle 17 is rotated to cause rotation of'the cross-bar 18 in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. Movement of the cross-bar 18 so produced is transmitted through the connecting links formed by the members 22 and rods 23 to the respective bellcranks 31, which swing about their respective axes and raise the associated stirrups 2'7 into engagement with the lips 29 on the brackets 28.

Because of the presence of the springs 25 between each'of the members 22 and its associated rod 23, engagement of a stirrup with its associated bracket-lip 29 does not prevent continued rotation of the operating member 17 and cross-bar 18. When one latch stirru'p 27 engages its associated bracket-lip 29, further rotation ofthe operating member and cross-bar 18 produces a compression of thespring 25 through which the operating force is transmitted to such stirrup, and thereafter the other latch stirrup engages its bracket-lip.

As rotation of the cross-bar l8 continues, the

' springs 25 continue to be compressed, until the pivotal connections between the cross-bar18 and themembers 22 cross the dead-centerposition. It will be apparent thatuntil the connections respectively pass their dead-center position, rotation of the cross-bar 18 in. the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 is opposed by the action of the springs 22; but that when the dead-center positions are passed, then the action of the springs '25 tends to rotate the operating member in the direction shown by the arrows in Fig. 2.

Desirably, the parts are so arranged as to prevent this last mentioned rotation of the'crossbar 18 after it has passed a slight distance beyond the dead-center position. This result is conveniently accomplished by offsetting the ends of the members'22 toward each other as is clear from Figs. 1 and 2, and by securing them to the cross-bar 18 in co-planarrelation. By making the in-bent ends of the members 22 of the proper length, the end of one or the other of such members can be caused to engage the side of the other hand member 22.

member shortly after the cross-bar 18 has passed v its'dead-center position, and this engagement of the end of one member with the side of another thereby limits rotation of the crossbar.

The locked position of my device is illustrated in Fig. 1. In this position, the two springs 25 are tending to rotate the cross-bar 18 in a direction opposite to that of the arrows in Fig; 1, but such rotation of the cross-bar is prevented because of the engagement between the end of the right-hand member 22 with the side of the left- The device will therefore remain in this condition until released, the springs 25 acting on the rods 23, and through the bellcranks 31 andlinks 32, to hold the latch-stirrups 27 in firm engagement with their associated bracket-lips 29. When it is desiredto release the latch, the handle 17 is operated to cause rotation of the cross-bar in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. Until the cross-bar 18 passes its dead-center position, this rotation is opposed by the springs 25; but thereafter, the members 22 moved outwardly toward the bellcranks respectively associated with them, the springs 25 are permitted to extend, and the bellcranks swing to cause thestirrups 2'7 to*move downwardly'out of engagement with the bracketlips 29';

I claim as my invention; 1 i

1.:A holding device'for an automobile hood, comprising two spaced latches each having relatively movable 'parts supported respectively from the hood-side and automobile frame, a bellcrankmounted on the hood-side near each of said latches, an operative connection between each bell-crank and the hood-supported part of its associated latch, operating means mounted on the hood-side between said two bell-cranks and a link operatively connecting said means with each of said bell-cranks. each of said links comprising a'pair of relatively movable members attached respectively to the operating means and theassoci ated bell-crank and yielding means acting between said two members andtending' to shorten the effective length of the link which such two members comprise. 2. -A latching device for holding two relatively movable members together comprising two spaced independently movable latch-parts mounted on one of said members, yieldable means operatively interconnecting said movable latch parts and tending to cause'them to move jointly into or out of latching position but capable of yielding to permit independent movement oi. the latch-parts, and an operating member operatively connected to said interconnecting means. v

3. A holding device for an automobile hood,

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comprising two spaced latches each having relaable members attached respectively to the op- 'erating'memberand the associated bell-crank and yielding means acting between said two link members and tending to shorten the effective length of the link which such two members comprise.

4. A latching device for an automobile hood, said latching deviceincluding two latches each having co-operating parts supported respectively from the hood-side and automobile frame, an operating member rotatably mounted on an axis generally perpendicular to the hood-side, and means for operatively interconnecting said operating member and the latch-parts supported from the hood-side, said means including a yielding force-transmitting connection acting between said operating member and one of the latch parts on the hood-side to hold such latch part in engagement with its associated latch-part on the automobile frame and capable of yielding to prevent the closing of one latch from interfering with the closing of the other. e

5. A holding device for an automobile hood, comprising two spaced latches each having a keeper supported from the automobile frame and a co-operating catch supported from the hoodside, a movable member associated with the catch of each latch, a spring acting between'each such keeper, a single releasable means for jointly holding said members advanced against the forces respectively exerted upon them by: their associated springs, and means in additionto said. spring interconnecting said releasable means and each latch-catch for moving the catches out of engagement with their associated keepers when said means is released. 1

BERTIS F. HAMILTON. 

